


forget me (not)

by hippietoews



Series: frostbitten [1]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Inspired by Rise of the Guardians, Inspired by a Movie, M/M, Magical Realism, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-21 04:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10677999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hippietoews/pseuds/hippietoews
Summary: "You're remembering him, aren't you?" Pat asks. Jon hums quietly.After the battle with Pitch, Jon never talked about his memories. He didn't share anything about his previous life with the other Guardians. He knows that they have memories of their own previous lives, but they seem so unattached to them now.Who they are now is what matters.





	forget me (not)

**Author's Note:**

> Set 300 years after the book series the film: Rise of the Guardians tells a story about Guardians Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and the Sandman, who enlist Jack Frost to stop Pitch Black from engulfing the world in darkness. The Man in the Moon provides the Guardians with their powers.
> 
> If you would like to know more about the movie that inspired this story, you can go here: [x](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rise_of_the_Guardians)
> 
> This story serves as a sequel to the movie. A read-through of the summary, we hope, isn't necessary. We did incorporate minor elements from the books written by William Joyce that inspired the movie, as well as our own ideas.

 

> _We will watch over the children of Earth,_  
>  _Guide them safely from the ways of harm,_  
>  _Keep happy their hearts, brave their souls, and rosy their cheeks._  
>  _We will guard with our lives their hopes and dreams,_  
>  _For they are all that we have, all that we are,_  
>  _And all that we will ever be._
> 
> -The Guardian's Oath.

 

The Tooth Palace is lit by the full moon high in the sky, illuminating the ornate gold that aligns the columns and rings. It glows so beautifully in the night, like the beam of a lighthouse, guiding the small fairies to their home.

There's a darkness looming below them, moving quietly like streams up the mountain. It flows smoothly as if conscious of its purpose. It wraps around the first fairy, robbing her of her breath and allowing her body to fall without reserve. The darkness moves like ribbons, grabbing fairies in its path. The light of the Palace dies out as screams from the fairies ring. Others see their siblings in harm's way and rush to them.

The Tooth Fairy appears from the largest column, flying towards his children. "Run!" Patrick Kane screams.

The fairies are frantically trying to out-fly the intruder, but the darkness ripples like a wave, becoming more corporeal as it nears Patrick. He slows the frequency of his wings, gathering energy to release a sonic wave. The impact hits a column, but the darkness seems to retreat for a breath before re-surging with more strength as if energised by the attack.

Patrick tries again, but the darkness resumes its onslaught on the Palace. He spots two fairies coming to aid him. He throws them the container he has in hand and an orb. "Head to the North Pole. Gather the Guardians. Get out now!"

Patrick faces the darkness now. With one final breath, he charges head on.

The mountain disappears into the night, only a flash of light appears momentarily as a portal opens and two baby fairies escape. In the moonlight the silhouette of a man appears.

 

Jon Frost couldn't resist bringing snow to Denmark a little early this year. He's smirking at his handiwork as the reindeer munch on the few clusters of grass that are feebly poking out through the snow. He can tell they're annoyed with him. Santa Claus' instructions were to walk his reindeer. "Get them some air" were his exact words. His trademark twinkle included. The elves did warn Seabs that Jon would exhaust the deer. It's not like Jon is known for doing anything half-assed. Denmark may be far for a walk, but they will need the endurance for Christmas. Jon is almost sure Seabs' intention was to have Jon to train his reindeer. Who knows, maybe this will get Jon on the Nice List for the first time in his life.

He's building a small snowman with two little girls who live in the village nearby. They may be the actual reason he went all out with the snowfall. Jon couldn't help it when the younger, red-headed girl came and sat in his lap, not even glancing at the legendary reindeer. With the full force of her large, soft green eyes, Jon melted as she sang, "Let It Snow." The words translated oddly in Danish, but the melody was familiar enough. The older sister – a light blonde – sighed, trying to hide a smile. Jon looked at her helplessly.

The little girl is giggling now as the older sister works on a snowman. She scrunches her nose at them. Jon finally clues in and gets up to pull a carrot from his bag tied to one of the reindeer. He hands the carrot off and watches as the two sisters pat off the snowman, smoothing out the bumps. Being seen, better yet, being recognized and even loved – the novelty hasn't worn off yet. He doesn't hide his existence like the other Guardians do. He's no mystery. He doesn't want to disconnect himself from the children they have sworn to protect. Just spending these small moments with them, Jon knows he may need them as such as they need him.

He's feeling faint suddenly. A migraine is working through his skull, like he's been hit in the head with snowballs repeatedly. It feels as if his thoughts are being ripped apart. He doubles over in pain, clutching at his head. As quick as it comes, it's gone. Jon's catching his breath when he notices two fairies flying overhead. He calls out to them, thankful to have a distraction from the anomaly. He grabs his staff and takes flight, reaching them in no time.

He's giddy with curiosity. The fairies usually work alone, but sometimes Patrick sends them off on special missions. Once he caught some pulling a prank on the Easter Bunny. Duncs swears Jon put them up to it. He didn’t, but he'll gladly accept the blame in exchange for witnessing Duncs trying to remove the huge cotton ball that they managed to adhere to his tail. The cotton would tear off in shreds. It doesn't help his innocence that Jon calls him "Cottontail" in his presence.

He recognizes them: Auston and Mitchell, or rather Four and Marns. Baby fairies chose a new name – often one given by their siblings. These two belong to Patrick's special squad of fairies, the Kane-9. Leave it to Patrick for the great puns. The first time they met, they were with Patrick when the Guardians informed him that he had been chosen by the Man in the Moon. It does give him a kick knowing how much they fuss over him, supposedly because of his pearly whites. Jon doesn't shy away from a toothy grin around them, even if Patrick says he looks dumb.

He's flying beneath them, laying back with his hands behind his head. "Hey, kiddos. You're a long way from home."

The boys freeze as if shocked to see him at all. Then Marns rushes into him, curling around his neck. He's crying. Four looks equally devastated but trying his hardest to keep himself together.

"The Palace has been attacked," are the only words Four can manage to say before choking up. Jon's blood runs cold.

"Patrick," he says breathlessly. "We need to get to him." He tries to fly in the direction they came from, but Marns jams his beak into the sensitive skin of Jon’s neck and pulls at his hair.

"No," Marns says with as much strength in his voice as he can muster. "The Guardians. Kaner said to go to the North Pole. We're not disobeying him."

The finality of those words is the only reason Jon is able to fight his every urge to go to Patrick now. It's more than just Patrick that's in danger. Whatever this is, if Patrick couldn't do it on his own, Jon's no better off going in alone.

"Okay," he agrees. He pulls at the other side of his hood, inviting Four to occupy that space like Marns has on his left. They return to the reindeer, that sense that something isn't quite right and obey Jon without question.

Jon waves goodbye to the children, who seem too busy with their snowman to acknowledge their departure.

 

They arrive on the large ice mass that serves as the base for the central building for Santa's Workshop. Bridges span off to other smaller buildings, but most of it is obscured after years of ice and snow. It has the warm feeling of a cabin but crafted with a far more intricate design. Jon veers the reindeer towards the entrance that leads to their stables. The elves take the reins from Jon. He blows past them and the Yetis that stand guard.

"Where's Seabs?" he shouts into building. The massive workshop that spans multiple floors, and each level is cluttered with artisanal toys in various stages of completion in the hands of elves and Yetis alike. Work seems to stop as the elves are alarmed with Jon and look panickingly at the Yetis for help. He continues yelling, calling out for Seabs as he works his way through the building to the controls for the Globe of Belief. It was a gift from the Man in the Moon, and so the workshop was constructed around it in part to protect it. A light shines for all the children that believe in the Guardians. An attack on the Tooth Palace will affect all of them, for the belief in each of them is intertwined. Slowly a few dimmer as the sun rises for children in the Americas.

They still have time to fix this.

Seabs finds him just as Jon approaches the control panel for the Globe. His famously jolly smile can't be hidden by his long, black beard or his large, overly tattooed body – such a juxtaposition Jon would normally tease him about. Now Jon doesn't have the heart to say much of anything akin to their usual, light-hearted banter.

"What's got our resident Ice Prince in a fuss this time," Seabs greets him, but Jon steps away from his hug.

"We need the Guardians. Now." Seabs takes one look at Jon, and goes to the panel to activate the Northern Lights. The lights bloom from within the Globe before flying through the opening in the roof just above. They soar through the sky reaching the ends of the world to call upon the Guardians.

The fairies thank Seabs from where they're perched on Jon's shoulders.

"I feel it too. Something bad is happening." Seabs tries to reassure him with his hand on his shoulder, giving Jon a gentle squeeze.

"Your belly, again?" Jon monotones, not really in the mood to be joking about Seabs's psychic stomach, but Seabs pats it solemnly as confirmation.

Jon is thankful that Seabs didn't ask for more of an explanation than that. He doesn't have anything other than what the fairies told him.

Jon has a moment to rest for the first time since crossing paths with the fairies, and he doesn't know what to do with himself. Seabs left to handle Christmas matters, so Jon has only the fairies to keep him company. The North Pole's inhabitants seem to want to stay clear of Jon, not wanting any sudden blasts of icy wind thrown in their direction. Four is consoling Marns, who is having trouble breathing.

"It'll be okay. Jon is taking care of it. Jon would do anything for Patrick."

While that is fundamentally true, it takes Jon for surprise. "Am I – am I really that obvious?"

Marns takes some pity on him. "Kinda. Your face does this thing, like – "

"Like you're constipated with happiness," Four finishes eloquently.

For a moment, Jon doesn't feel the severity of it all, but there's so much about the situation he doesn't know. He resumes monitoring the lights, counting as they go out. One by one. It's almost morning in the Far East, but the lights are disappearing from other parts of the world. Jon hadn't noticed that earlier. This isn't just affecting believers in the Tooth Fairy.

At this the Easter Bunny hops up from a rabbit hole just inches from Jon, and the Sandman arrives haphazardly in a ship made of his magical sand that disappears into nothing as he lands on his butt.

"You alright there, Crow?" Duncs asks, helping him stand. Crow shakes his head aggressively as he tries to explain his thoughts with hand gestures and sand animation above his head. The animation begins with a miniature version of himself on his cloud, then some sort of impact demonstrated with a punch into an open palm. An X appears over his head, and then Crow looks at them expectantly. Jon and Duncs share a look, quite puzzled by the whole show.

The last sand image is of multiple question marks. Jon can relate to that, but otherwise can't offer much help. Crow rolls his eyes in frustration and waves them off as useless.

Duncs takes minor offense to that but instead of saying anything begins, "So, Jolly Man, why are we gathered here this time? Wait, where's Kaner? He's never late."

"Let's let Jon clue us in. Even I'm in the dark." The whole room shifts back to Jon, but all he wants is to speed up this process.

"I don't know much. Marns and Four - Patrick's fairies – I found them. They say the Palace has been attacked. What am I missing?"

Four hops off from Jon's shoulder to perch himself on the tallest elf that's standing close by. The elf doesn't protest.

"Kaner gave us a snow globe, but we accidentally ended up in Alps. He was fighting this intruder. I don't know what it was, but it looked like when Pitch attacked us... But this didn't have a body. This – darkness, I guess – it wasn't a solid mass, but it could grab on to you."

"It did that to our brothers. We don't know if they're unconscious or what. Everything Patrick did didn't work. It, like, absorbed his attacks."

"And now we're losing our strength. I can barely fly anymore. We don't know if it's because the children don't believe or if Patrick is – "

"That's enough," Jon cuts him off, not wanting to hear the end of that. "Can we go now?"

"What do you mean 'Can we go now?'" Duncs's long ears flop down as he stares at Jon. "We don't even know what we're facing or how to counter it. You can't jump into battle so unprepared. You have to think."

"I think Patrick is in danger. I think he needs our help. How much more do you need?" Jon thought he and Duncs wouldn't butt heads anymore after his guardianship, but some things never change. Crow, meanwhile, is standing poised with a ball of dream sand ready in case either one of them get out of hand.

"This could kill us." The fairies and elves whimper at the thought. "We need to know if whatever attacked the fairies is still there."

"Fine, I'll go in first. You can be my backup." Jon's done talking.

"That's not what I meant. Come on, Crow, Seabs. Back me up."

Crow shrugs his shoulders at Duncs.

"Let's get going then. It's been decided." Seabs pats his shoulder.

"You can't just take his side."

"You try changing his mind." Seabs leaves Duncs mildly irritated and commands his staff to prepare for a trip to the Palace.

 

The plan was to give them an hour to secure the perimeter, but Jon is ready to go. With the snow globe Seabs provided him and one quick warning to the fairies, Jon opens a portal and takes off flying as soon as he’s through.

Four and Marns let go of his hood and zip past him, finding cover in a tree. Crouching down behind a boulder close to them, he scans the area.

The Tooth Palace is deservedly named as such. Hidden away in a high mountain, the cave within serves as the foundation to the Palace. Extravagant towers, each with even smaller towers branching off, hang from the stalactites, giving the magical illusion that they are floating in midair. It’s usually so systematically chaotic here, buzzing with life. The scene before them is eerily quiet. The only real sound is from the trickle of water flowing through the mountain floor. Hundreds of baby tooth fairies are scattered among the platforms of each tower. They seem to be asleep, but the silence is far too unsettling for that to be completely true. Jon doesn't want to dwell on the few that fell further down.

He decides the coast is clear and whistles to Four and Marns. They take flight in unison, but the fairies are slower as their energy seemingly continues to drain. As Jon flies past the unconscious bodies, he can see the minute movement of their chest rising. The ones among the rubble of the mountainside look like they might have sustained the most brutal injuries.

Marns slows down to help one of his siblings, and Jon can't help but watch as Marns lifts him from the ground with such care to rest next to another fairy. The two fairies look similar with their strikingly blond hair. Marns pauses, hovering over them to press his forehead against each before resuming his prime task. Marns even joined the two fairies' hands together.

Jon can only imagine how painful it must feel for them. This is their family, and they were unable to help any of them.

Jon spots Four flying above them, stone-faced as always, but there's an edge to his features. Jon catches his eye for a brief second before Four is looking behind him, puzzled.

"I can hear something. It's coming from the Chamber," Four yells, darting to Jon and tugging on his hood in the correct direction.

He hears a soft cough before a ray of light catches the glimmer of a wing coming through the arches of a platform. He doesn't breathe. He can't breathe. He doesn't even know if that's Patrick, but he's diving through the air to get there as fast as he can, praying that it is him – that he's okay.

He flies in through an archway and immediately sees Patrick lying with his face down. His wings lay limp at his back. The beautifully colored feathers that cover his body lack their normal vibrancy. Jon hears the cough again. It's much too small to be Patrick's, and that realization intensifies his fears. Patrick's limp body moves. Jon is paralyzed, unable to move close, and Four and Marns don't seem to know what to do either. Patrick's midsection rises, as if being pushed up but otherwise remains still. From beneath him appears another baby fairy.

"Brinks!" Jon gasps. He scrambles over to Patrick's body and picks him up in the cup of his hands. Brinksy continues to cough as his siblings embrace him. Being this close to him, Jon can see that Patrick's breathing. Jon practically cries from relief. He moves even closer.

"Someone attacked us, Jon. I don't know what it was. Kaner tried to fight it, but nothing he did worked." Brinksy pleads.

"It's okay," he rubs his cheek against Brinksy. That seems to settle him.

"Kaner – I think he's okay."

Carefully, Jon turns him until he's able to bring him into an upright position. The fairies hold Patrick's head very still in case it's injured. "Patrick... I need you to wake up."

Jon doesn't know what to do without Patrick. He doesn't know how to help. He needs him to wake up. He presses his forehead against Patrick’s, closing his eyes. "Please, Patrick. Wake up." He can feel his own heartbeat rising, but his breathing is slowing. As if he's not ready to breathe until Patrick does.

Jon hears the boys gasp before he feels the small tug at his hoodie.

"Oh, Jonny," Patrick whispers, his voice too weak. He's pulling Jon closer, hugging him with his weak body. "I couldn't protect them," he confesses in a sob.

"Shh, shh, " Jon tries to console him. "You did what you could." Jon can hear the tears in his voice, but he won't allow himself to break when Patrick needs him.

Brinksy lets out another cough, and Patrick draws back to look at them. They're elated to see him.

"You found a friend, I see." He leans down to a press a kiss on their heads.

The sweet moment ends as Four alerts Patrick to the empty compartments on the walls. "Whatever that was, it wasn't after us. We were just in the way."

Patrick braces his weight on one knee as he strains to rise to his feet. He's looking frantically at the walls surrounding them. Patrick rushes to the main wall, tripping in his weak state. Jon can see how his right wing is lowered, almost as if it's hanging from where it is attached at his shoulder blades. Patrick is holding one arm close to his body while his other hand traces along the ornate designs. The compartments that hold the children's teeth are missing. Every one of them.

"The memories are gone," Patrick laments. In the same breath, he punches the wall. "Even ours. Fuck."

His strength slips, and Jon rushes to hold him up. More of his features fall. Patrick is lost in his thoughts, but when he focuses back at Jon, it's like he's seeing him for the first time all over again.

"Jonny?"

"Yeah?" The familiarity in his tone surprises Jon.

Patrick puzzles over Jon's face, but Jon's not quite sure what he's looking for. Something changes in his demeanor, closing off to him. “Where are the other Guardians?"

"Outside the mountain. They’re just waiting for my signal."

"Get them. I have to see about my family."

As Jon flies away, he peers back at Patrick standing at the edge of tower's ring. At his heels are Four and Marns holding Brinksy's hands.

 

With the Guardians gathered inside, Patrick is adamant about holding a funeral in the Palace. Immediately. His voice is so stern, as if expecting that they'd debate this. The Guardians do not question him. Why would they? For the second time the Palace has been attacked, but this time his children were hurt and some died.

Patrick releases a breath before sitting down again.

"I can't..." He covers his face as his tears fall. But he's not hiding. Patrick has never been one to shy away from his emotions in front of others. "I will make whoever is responsible for this pay, but I need to do this for them first. They deserve more than this."

Patrick refuses to elaborate on the attack, saying, "They took the memories. They have no reason to attack again." Then withdrawing from them to tend to his baby fairies.

And so it is settled. Seabs portals in the Yetis and elves to bring materials for the coffins and supplies to tend to the wounded. Jon begins by conjuring small blocks of ice to be use as ice packs that the elves take to the makeshift medical ward to tend to the injured. Crow's sprinkling his sand to help calm the fairies from the trauma. He seems to be losing strength and can't do much more for them in terms of sweet dreams. Many of them have been crying for their siblings. Sleeping will only bring them a temporary comfort.

Jon moves on to help the group of Yetis led by Seabs and Duncs that are constructing the individual coffins. Brinksy finds him here. He curls up in his crook of his neck, and Jon pats him. "It'll be okay, little buddy. Just have to take it one day at a time." Jon owes him much more than this. Brinksy was by Jon's side through the whole ordeal with Pitch. If only he had been nearby.

They work through the night to finish the coffins for the fairies. Patrick makes sure each box has their name. Seabs personally adds an engraving of a tooth – the symbol of the Tooth Fairy – that make Patrick smile briefly.

Jon is reading through the names when he finally remembers that blond fairy that Marns had carried when they first entered the Palace. Willy, another one of the Kane-9. The younger blond fairy, he sees now, is his brother, and the sight of him crying over his coffin breaks something in Jon.

It all feels so wrong. Fairies themselves were once human children, who died too young – who still had baby teeth of their own. Here they were to have an eternity for the life they were robbed. Instead they're mourning. There is no custom for a fairy funeral. This is just what Patrick wants.

The morning light is pouring in through the cave entrance. It shines over the portrait etched into the smoothed surface of the cave walls where a waterfall once ran. It depicts the lore of the Tooth Fairy. How he was entrusted with the teeth of the children – with their memories, their hopes and their dreams. Patrick asked the Yetis to carve into the surface around the image, leaving enough space for the coffins to be placed.

They light candles and set them on sheets of ice to float on the clear water that pools beneath it. Patrick, one by one, takes each coffin and slides it into a compartment in wall. He returns to stand with the Guardians in a half circle and they all take each other's hands. The elves ring their bells softly while the Yetis hum a tune of sorrow. The fairies cry and say their goodbyes.

Jon squeezes Patrick's hand, but he doesn't look back.

 

The Guardians return to the North Pole without Patrick, who asked for a moment alone with his fairies. While risky, they did leave him with a snow globe. They're back to watching the Globe of Belief dim out until only one light remains.

It’s not long before a portal opens up behind them, and Patrick comes through with eight fairies in tow. He walks straight to the Globe, examining it briefly, before turning to the rest. "I have one memory box, and I'm sure this child is the last light." Four emerges with a golden, cylinder box. "I can go find him, but my fairies need protection."

"They can stay in the Warren," Duncs offers. "No one can get in without my permission."

"Good, then you're in charge of taking them there." Patrick looks back at his fairies and says, "These eight can assist you. I can't do much in my current state, but I can find this child while rest of you go find whoever did this."

"I'll come with you." Jon jumps off from the banister he was sitting on to stand by Patrick. "I still have my powers."

"Surprise, surprise," Seabs chuckles, already leaving the room to prepare his sleigh with Duncs and Crow.

"So how do we find this kid?" Jon follows Patrick to get snow globes.

"Jon, I'm holding his memories." With the touch of his hand, the memory box opens, and a glow of lights shimmer from within. Beyond that, only Patrick can see.

"Let's head to Russia then."

  
They arrive at the edge of a small Russian town. There aren't many sources of light beyond the streetlights and the moon. It seems barren since most people are home at this hour, but that makes it easy for them to spot a young boy walking by the main road.

"Is that him?"

"Yeah. He's missing a first molar." Jon gives him a blank look, as if that detail makes any difference to him.

"Wait here. I'll go get him."

"Jon, I can still walk." He sounds a bit exasperated but there's a little smile there.

"You can sit, too, so do that. I'll be right back."

Patrick makes a show out of sitting down by wiping off the tree branch they're standing on and giving an exaggerated curtsy, but Jon grins, content that Patrick isn't fighting him on this.

Jon flies overhead as a small boy treks through the snowy path up to an apartment complex. It's long past sunset and he's by himself. He's carrying a bag slung over his shoulder with skates tied to the strap. He's covered head to toe with only his red nose sticking out.

Jon clears away the snow in his path. The boy doesn't seem to notice. All the buildings seem indistinguishable, unmarked and minimalistic. The boy runs up the steps, two at a time until he reaches the fifth floor. Jon watches from outside as the boy enters his home. He greets a small dog, much like him.

He pulls off his scarf and hat for the pup to give him kisses. He smiles brightly as he picks it up and tickles its chin, encouraging its affections. He knocks on a door, murmurs something softly and then proceeds to the kitchen with the miniature schnauzer in tow. His actions seem robotic as he lights the stove and pulls out a pot to pour in soup out of a container that he grabbed from the fridge. He doesn't forget to grab something else for the pup either. He sits down on the kitchen floor next to the dog to eat. That's when he begins to talk. His face opens up and becomes beautifully animated as he whispers. Jon looks around and sees no one else there. Only the dog.

When they're finished eating, the boy washes their dishes as the pup nips at his ankles for attention.

Jon notices the size of the apartment. There are three doors: the front door, the bedroom door, and another that's for the bathroom. The kitchen leads into the small living room that's modestly decorated. More religious icons hang on the walls than actual family pictures. As if to answer his question, the boy brings out some blankets and a pillow to prep a bed on the living room sofa. He says a small prayer before settling in with the pup tucked at his feet.

Jon sneaks inside through a window, careful not to make any noise. The boy's blond curls pokes out from under the blankets. Jon wishes he could do more for him.

The pup notices him first. It huffs at him and relocates to lay on the boy's chest.

"Anya, please, I want to sleep now," he murmurs. The dog presses closer into his face. "Anya, no."

"I think she's unhappy about me being here." Jon's standing a few feet away in the moonlight, so the boy can see him as clearly as possible and hopefully not be alarmed.

The boy clutches the dog and sits up, pushing himself as flat as possible into the sofa. "Who are you?" he asks with a tremor in his voice.

Jon takes a few, slow steps before sitting on the floor. There's still enough distance between them, but he’d much rather not wake up anyone else living here by startling the boy. He lays his staff in front of him and sits back with his arms holding him up.

"I'm Jon Frost, and you're the last child on Earth that believes in me."

"You're Jon Frost!" The boys eyes practically bulge out before he's jumping up from the sofa. "You make it snow!"

Jon chuckles, "Yeah, I do do that."

"What else can you do?"

Anya isn't pleased with her owner abandoning her for a stranger. Jon's never had much luck with dogs. Patrick would say it's because he's unpleasantly cold. This gives him an idea. He conjures ice and manipulates it into the shape of a bone. He presents her the ice-shaped bone as a peace offering. Jon tried his best to keep it from forming into completely solid ice, trying to keep on the verge of melting. Anya tentatively licks it.

"Just don't bite it. I already get enough lectures from Patrick for chewing on ice. Don't need him to blame me for the dental health of an actual canine."

"Who's Patrick?" They're both sitting on the floor facing each other now, so Jon leans forward and whispers, as if sharing a truly great secret.

"He's the Tooth Fairy, but his real name is Patrick Kane. He helped me find you, Artemi. He's here, too. Well, out there, actually." Jon motions to the window. Some of the lightheartedness falls away because there is a danger out there, too, and it's coming for them all.

"Which brings me to the reason for my visit, buddy. Remember what I said: You're the last child that believes in me – in us. That makes you very special. Your belief gives us strength. We think someone wants to hurt us, and to do that, they're going to come for you. Which is why we should get going. Now."

"I can't leave my grandparents again." Artemi brings Anya into his lap, dropping the bone. He holds her tightly, and she licks his face. "I already don't get to see them much as it is," he confesses. He sounds guilty about it, but Jon can't change that right now. He has to get him to safety first – for all their sakes.

"You'll be back soon, I promise." With his pinky out to Artemi, he even makes a quiet plea to Anya, hoping she'll accept, too.

Artemi nods and locks pinkies with Jon.

Outside the waning moon gives them enough light to spot the sparkle of Patrick's wings as he sits on the tree branch where Jon left him. He looks pained but he's quick to clear that from his face when he sees them. With Jon and Artemi waiting just below, Patrick jumps down, using his wings to slow his fall. Jon's not going to argue with Patrick about sitting this fight out, but this doesn't feel like the best option. Patrick shouldn't be exerting himself on top of everything going on.

Artemi seems too eager to notice Patrick's current state. "Wow, you're the Tooth Fairy!"

Patrick beams at that. "That's right, kiddo. The coolest Guardian there ever was." Patrick Kane stands upright with his wings extended to shoot the kid a wink and some finger-gun action. Patrick's so called signature move. Jon is cringingly enjoying this.

Artemi looks awestruck. "Wow, you really are pretty."

Patrick seems to choke at that, looking to Jon. "Did he tell you that?"

"Maybe."

Jon's ready to go now. He retrieves the snow globe.

 

The Easter Bunny's home may be the oldest of them all. His tunnels lead to an oasis deep in the Earth. Its existence seems almost impossible. Tall pine trees line the edges, and a river flows through seemingly from nowhere. Sunlight streams down upon the landscape, making it feel like it exists outside of time while the ancient temple feels as old as the Earth. The carvings on the walls and pillars are covered heavily in moss, telling stories long forgotten to the world – secrets only Duncs now knows. Stories he may no longer share. Jon wonders if Duncs and he share a similar loneliness.

Artemi can't seem to contain his excitement and climbs on top one of the stone heads that guard the Warren. The stone walks slowly while Artemi cheers happily, taking in everything. Patrick takes a seat against a pillar. The trip probably took too much out of him. Patrick sees the concern on Jon's face and waves him off. 

"Go find my fairies," he asks quietly. Jon nods, taking Artemi with him. 

It doesn't take long to hear murmuring coming from inside one of the temple shrines. They're clustered together, as close as they can be, like they're afraid to let each other go. Jon taps his knuckles against the stone wall, hoping not to startle them. 

"There's more of him?" Artemi blurts out. The fairies seem puzzled by him. Jon laughs at that. None of the Guardians and their companions know what to do when children are awake, it seems. Artemi's squatting down with his finger posed to poke the closest one. The fairy instead reaches out with his own finger to poke back. 

"Hi, I'm Artemi. What's your name, little guy?" 

"You're quite little yourself, mister." The fairy is so pleased by the face Artemi makes that he laughs. "I'm Vinnie." 

He turns around to face the group, and proceeds naming other fairies at random. "And there's Harts, he's my best friend. Over there is Apple and Nickle." And on Vinnie goes.

Some of the fairies he names come out to hi-five Artemi or simply raise their hand in acknowledgement. Something about having Artemi there seems to lift their spirits. They all seem to have forgotten about Jon until Brinksy jumps out, asking with concern, "Where's Kaner?" 

"He's here. He'd like to see you all." He points in the direction they came from. The fairies scurry away, a few tugging at Artemi to follow them. 

Brinksy stays behind with Jon. "Is he going to be okay?" 

"I won't allow anything else." Jon perches Brinksy on his shoulder, and they follow after the trail of fairies. 

Artemi soon begins to fight off sleep. He's suppressing yawns as if there aren't hundreds of fairies and Jon watching him. Patrick motions Artemi over, and the fairies flutter away to give Artemi space next to Patrick. With an arm around his shoulders, Artemi curls into Patrick and falls asleep. 

"You should rest, too. We don't know how long it will be until the other Guardians show up." 

The fairies follow in turn, huddling in little clusters around them. The stone heads take their place to form a barrier. As serene and disjointed from the conflict as this place feels, the threat still looms. Jon can't allow himself to forget that.

Jon takes a seat next to Patrick. As he watches the scene before him, part of Jon yearns for something that feels so far and lost. The sun is dimming as if it knows they want to sleep. The small hum of night begins. While the familiarity of this strangely magical place does settle Jon some, he can't release the tension. 

"Can't sleep?" 

Jon hums a 'no.' 

Jon turn his head against the stone and reaches over to scratch lightly through Artemi's hair. The kid shivers and twists until he's laying his head in Patrick's lap instead. Patrick extends his wing to cover him. 

"He looks like you. If you were a human child." 

"Does he now?" Patrick laughs.

"Do you remember – your previous life?" 

Patrick seems to pull away at that, looking instead to the sky. To the moon. 

“No, nothing before being a Guardian,” he offers. Jon doesn’t expect more, but Patrick adds, “I remember my sisters, but it's been centuries since we talked about that time." 

Patrick is fidgeting, smoothing out a feather that fell – probably his own – with one hand. "Is this how it felt for you? Before.” 

Jon considers it. How things changed for him when Patrick told him that he did have a life before he was Jon Frost. Even when he didn't know the details, the promise of it filled him and gave him some relief. "I remember the loneliness from that time because I didn't know there was a before, but this time it feels more like something is missing." 

Patrick looks sad for him. 

"It's nothing terrible, just a frustrating annoyance, I guess." He doesn't want Patrick worrying about him on top of everything else that's happened.

It gets quiet again. Jon turns to the sight before them. It is beautiful, so many fairies fast asleep, but one is shaking, lost in a nightmare. Jon recognises him from funeral - the one that cried for his brother. 

"Can you bring him to me?" Patrick asks quietly.

Jon carefully moves between the fairies to lift him up without waking him. Patrick motions for Jon to place him on the side opposite of Artemi. The little fairy curls up against Patrick instinctively. Jon's adjusting himself to give them more room when he hears Patrick humming a melody. It calms the fairy. He gives a little sigh, and it looks like his nightmare is over. 

Patrick is running a finger through the hair on the tiny fairies forehead when he says, "His name's Alex. He lost his brother in the attack." Jon watches as tears form in Patrick's eyes. 

"Willy was so handsome that even my sisters would swoon over him, but he was so shy. Everyone loved him. Willy was one of the first. 

"For so long it was just me and my sisters, but the world grew so fast. I asked the Man in the Moon for help, and so he sent me baby fairies. I shared my power with Willy – the ability to see the memories - I didn't think it would be a problem. I had shared it with my sisters before and nothing happened, but Willy saw his own memories – the good and the bad. That's the thing: I can see it all, but I only share the good with the children when they need it. I didn't warn him, and that's on me. He saw – he saw how he died – how he and his brother died. There was a fire that burned down their home, but they went back for their sisters. Their sisters survived, but the house collapsed on them. That's when I realised that the Man in the Moon was sending me children that died." Jon wants to give him some comfort, so he takes the hand Patrick has resting on Alex's back in his own. 

"Willy would go visit his sisters. When they'd lose a tooth, he'd bring Alex with him. I think he revealed himself to them but never told them who he was. He kept that secret to himself, not even Alex knew who those girls were. He watched them grow up... But then the youngest got very sick, and she died." Patrick lets out a shaky breath. "Willy came to me and confessed. I didn't – I wasn't mad at him. I was sad for him. I knew that feeling of loss, but I was fortunate enough to have my sisters with me. 

"He never went back to see them again. He didn't want to relive losing them. After that he wasn't the same..." Patrick trails off quietly before squeezing Jon's hand and letting go. "Good night, Jonny." 

 

Jon wakes up with a finger jabbing his cheek. He opens one eye, not really ready to be awake. The jabbing stops. Artemi is looking down at him with a finger pressed to his lips, quietly shushing him. Jon's poised to inform him that he can't make the rules if he's daring enough to wake Jon up, but then he realises that Patrick is still asleep next to him. In agreement, Artemi tugs him up and further away from Patrick, but Jon doesn't have to energy to use his legs just yet. The swarm of fairies meet them at the entrance to one of the shrines. 

Jon releases a drawn out yawn now that he's out of earshot. "What's this about?" 

"We're going to play hide and seek!" Artemi replies, as if Jon has no say in the matter. He's _definitely_ not ready to be this awake. 

"Not it!" Artemi yells with a finger on his nose. The world is against him because every single fairy chirps out the phase and stares at Jon gleefully with fingers on their own noses. Here he thought he had a good relationship with the little guys. Jon sighs, willing to submit to the game even though he has no clue how long he slept or how there are hundreds of avian hybrids and a human child with so much energy waiting eagerly for him to play.  


No one should ever say that Jon Frost isn't fun. With staff in his hand, he begins. 

"Ten."

"You can't look!" Vinnie shouts.

Jon closes his eyes. "Nine. Eight..." He feels their movement as they scatter through the Warren. He has no idea how he's going to find them all but if they want to play... 

"Here I come!" 

It takes no time at all because once he finds one fairy, they in turn help find the others. Jon is very suspicious that they may not be playing fair. Artemi hasn't been found yet, and while he's small for a human, he's huge compared to his competition. Jon's seconds from interrogating the stone heads, when someone taps his shoulder. 

"Whatcha doing?" 

"Finding Artemi." Jon's so happy to see Patrick up. He looks so much healthier today, his feathers are more vibrant, his smile stronger.  


"So you lost the kid already," Patrick smirks.

"He got lost by himself," Jon counters. 

"That makes it so much better." 

"It's hide and seek!" 

"But you can't play anything without snow and ice." 

"You have a good point." With a tap of his staff against the grassy smoothed stone, sparks blast through and swirl into the air before snowflakes begin steady falling. 

"Duncs' not going to like this." Patrick giggles 

"He's never been a fan." The laugh Patrick gives him doesn't feel like enough now. Something more is missing here, but Jon doesn't want to dwell on it because Patrick looks as close to his normal self as he has since the attack. Jon's not going to disturb that in any way. 

A gasp of awe and a hint of curls peek out from behind Patrick. 

"I found you! I win." Artemi rolls his eyes at Jon. 

"Because that's what matters." Patrick snarks

"The kid challenged me. I'm just doing my part." 

Artemi ignores them both and runs around in the snow with the other fairies. 

Patrick touches Jon's arm. "Jon. Thank you." 

"What for?" 

"They're smiling again." 

Before he can respond, Artemi is mercilessly tugging on the hem of his hoodie. "Jon! Jon! Can you freeze the river, too?" 

And so they spend their day slipping around on the ice. The fairies seem so new to it that Jon wonders if they ever get time to just enjoy these simple, silly things. Patrick takes his guardianship seriously, working around the clock to protect and archive the happy memories of children. He has so many fairies to help him, but they rely on Patrick entirely to do what to they do. It feels good to see him enjoy downtime with them.

Artemi starts up a game of pond hockey with a little encouragement from Jon. A few fairies shuffle off to find sticks or small branches to play with while Jon makes pucks from ice. They draw out the goal lines and put two fairies in each net to even the playing field. Jon and Patrick handle the face-offs while Brinksy and Artemi line up as their wingers. It's far from high stakes hockey when the majority of the players are under a foot tall, but Artemi does show off some of his skills. Meanwhile, Patrick dominates Jon at the dot. The fairies not playing make for the best crowd, cheering for everything, including the pretend fight between Vinnie and Harts, though their biggest cheers are always reserved for Patrick. 

After Artemi taps out, Patrick and Jon let the fairies have the ice to themselves. Patrick wiggles into a spot among the crowd of fairies while Jon finds Artemi laying by a bed of flowers. 

“They smell so nice,” he proclaims as he rolls around. 

“Careful now, Duncs needs those for Easter. They decorate the eggs.” 

“Whoa, then we should help water them.” 

Jon winces. He doesn’t know anything about plants. He’s strictly winter where anything green is either covered in white or dead. Spring means he has to move on. 

Artemi giggles at him. "Go get the water." Jon shapes ice into a bowl and fills it from the unfrozen half from the river. 

"Quick! Before the water gets too cold." Artemi teaches him how much water to use, and that water that's too cold wouldn't reach the roots. 

They go around the Warren, watering plants here and there. Artemi tells Jon about how he used to live outside the town with his grandparents, and how his grandmother had a garden she'd tend to in the warmer months. Artemi would help her when he could. When she'd get sick, he'd wake up earlier than usual just to make sure the plants were watered, so his grandmother didn't have to worry. Eventually, his grandfather said they needed to live closer to a big city so it wouldn't be such a long drive to his hockey practices. Artemi doesn't seem to mind that Jon isn't offering much in terms of conversation, that just listening to Artemi is enough.

They take a break halfway through to munch on some strawberry filled chocolates that Jon finds in his bag. The chocolates are on the verge of melting, but a quick flash of cold wind fixes that. They're sitting by a patch of blue flowers. Jon has one between his fingers, gliding his thumb over the five pedals while Artemi lays down next to him. 

"I go to this new school now. I'm not good." He laughs it off. "Grandpa says I don't have to be smart in school as long as I'm smart in hockey." 

"What do your parents have to say about that?" He means it light-heatedly, but then he remembers the one bedroom apartment. 

Artemi stops looking up at Jon, instead glazing at the flowers, poking at their yellow centres. "Didn't you see my memories? You said that's how you found me." 

"No, only Patrick can do that." 

"Oh. Well, they didn't want me." Artemi is focused on his hand that’s messing with the flower, but Jon gently nudges him to get up. Artemi follows until he's sitting with his head tucked under Jon's chin. 

"But it's okay. I have my grandparents." The words are meant to reassure Jon, but he only hugs Artemi tighter. Jon may not remember his own story, but he does know what it feels like to have no one. To not know your place in the world. 

"They're lucky to have you." At that, he feels Artemi sob quietly into his chest. 

"Sometimes I hear Grandpa tell other people that I am his son." Artemi mumbles quietly.

Jon nods along. "That's not something you can say without meaning." He rubs Artemi's arm, hoping his words gets through to him. 

"I want..." Artemi struggles to find his voice, before managing to say, "I want him to love me for more than just hockey." 

Jon's carding his fingers through Artemi's hair, trying to get him to turn his face towards Jon. "He does." While Jon doesn't know that as a fact, he doesn't see how that cannot be true. 

It's a while before Artemi completely stops crying, but Jon doesn't stop holding him. 

Artemi picks up the flower Jon had long forgotten, then gets up. "Let's head back now." His eyes are red and puffy, but his smile is so bright. Once Jon is on his feet again, Artemi gives him a quick hug, before pulling him towards the river, where the fairies were last playing. 

He hands him back the flower and runs off to play with the fairies, who have moved on to sliding on the ice with their bellies. Jon finds Patrick resting against a stone head with a fairy in his lap. The fairies seem to take turns sitting there, just wanting to be close to Patrick. 

Jon squats down next to Patrick, looking between him and flower. 

"I want to do more for Artemi." 

Patrick places his hand along Jon's wrist reassuringly. "Sometimes, just being there is enough." 

 

On what feels like the fourth morning, Jon is uneasy. The day leads into night, but time ticks away differently. For all Jon knows weeks could have gone by since they arrived. Everything begins to feel duller, like spring is receding back to winter. 

Patrick senses it, too. "Do you think something happened?" he asks Patrick. 

Patrick doesn't respond immediately. "I think so. I have Marns, Four and Forts alternating shifts at the Pole. Marns left last night, but Forts hasn't reported back yet." 

"I should go." Jon states it factually, but he's torn. He'll be leaving Patrick, Artemi and the fairies defenceless. The stone heads can only do so much to protect them if they are attacked. Patrick is getting better, his colouring is vibrant again, like his strength is returning. He's recovering faster from being so close to Artemi, especially after Artemi overheard what his presence does for Patrick and decided that he can't leave Patrick's side. 

Part of Jon is pleading with Patrick. If he says the word, he'll stay. 

Patrick shakes his head at him, and says, "Go. Take Brinksy. He's good luck for you." Said fairy flies over at the mention of his name, saluting Jon cutely. 

"I'll be back soon," he promises. 

Even as he stands at the tunnels entrance, he pauses. They’ve sworn to protect the children, but they have no one else to protect them.

"Grab on tight," he warns the fairy tucked in the pocket of his hoodie. He takes off through the tunnel that is marked with runes in the shape of North America. There’s no direct path to the North Pole from the Warren – only Duncs can create a tunnel between the two. Jon will have to fly from Canada, and just thinking about how long that may take increases his desire to get there faster. The tunnel branches off to the various countries then to the provinces, and finally Jon emerges above ground in Nunavut. He flies straight up until the wind current picks him up and directs him further North, accelerating his top speed. 

Something just doesn't feel right. He's only a few miles away when he sees Seabs get ejected into the air and land in the icy mountainside below. Crow then emerges from the rooftop, commanding his sand and manipulating it into long whips. As Jon nears, Crow spots him and shakes his head _No_. 

In that moment, a darkness bleeds out. It consumes the building, taking its life. The lights go out, leaving behind a silence so bare Jon can only hope that no one is inside. 

Crow stands above on his cloud of sand and looks beyond beaten. He was weak the last time Jon saw him, but now his movements are cautious and strained, like he's fighting his body as well. An animated arrow of sand appears directing Jon's attention to where Seabs fell, then reforming into the shape of a ball. He doesn't fully understand, but he wastes no time jetting off to find him. 

Thankfully Seabs landed in a soft patch of snow and not an icy surface. Brinksy comes out from his pocket to check on Seabs. Jon looks back toward Crow and the darkness.

The darkness is reaching for Crow, but he's too focused on the motion of his hands while the sand around him gathers enclosing him in an orb. It pulses once and then contracts until Crow emerges as the orb shrinks into him. His fingers are aligned at the tips, and then he collapses his hands – palm to palm – before pulling apart. The orb reappears from within him but grows beyond its original size like it's exploding.

Jon is quick to form a shield of ice to protect them before the impact can reach them. Jon covers Seabs and Brinksy with his own body in case the ice shield isn't enough. The sand permeates through the Arctic and evaporates into nothing. 

When Jon turns around, Crow is nowhere to be found, and he fears the worst. The darkness is gone from the workshop, so Jon deems it safe to take down the shield. The second fresh air enters, a migraine strikes Jon, knocking him down to his knees. He screams from the pain. There's a blinding light behind his eyelids and he sees flashes of things – of moments.

He's standing on a frozen lake, and he's not alone. He's crying as he holds their hand. He can feel their grip now. More than that, he feels an overwhelming grief, but whoever this is won't let it consume him. He believes this so truly even though this can be no more than a memory.

There's a rush of air that fills his lungs like he had been drowning and is drawing his first breath. The pain ebbs away and Jon finally notices Brinksy in front of him, looking concerned as he dabs at the tears on Jon's face. His feathered hand doesn't do much more than smear the wetness around his face, too tiny to actually be helpful. 

Jon cups him into his hand, and Brinksy goes willingly. "I'm okay." He gives his best smile given the pain his brain just put him through.

"No, you're not," he squeaks back. His jabs his long beak into Jon's palm as punishment for his dishonesty.

"Fine, I'm not, but that doesn't matter right now. I need you to watch over Seabs while I go check out the workshop. Can you do that for me?"

As small as he is, Brinksy gives him a determined nod. Such a fearless little thing. Jon ruffles the feathers on his head, then steps away to reform the icy shield adding snow to cover it. It blends in with the rest of the snow, undisturbed. 

Jon enters through one of the broken windows into the main atrium of the building. There's destruction everywhere. The banisters to various floors are broken while other levels are completely destroyed. There are unfinished toys thrown about but no one is here. Not one elf, Yeti or Guardian.

The Globe has stopped moving. It's tilted to one side, on the verge of collapse. The lights are all gone. Except one. It's dully blinking as Jon looks on. That's Artemi at the Warren. 

Jon comes to a stop in front of the control panel, right where a "G" is engraved into the stone floor. This is where he was first asked to be a Guardian. How things have changed since then. The Guardians welcomed him as one of their own and he brushed them off. Now all he wants is to have that back again. He doesn't even know where Duncs and Crow are. Patrick would be wasting away if Artemi wasn't there. 

Above the Globe, the moon is shining through the opening in the roof. "What do we do now?" he asks the Man in the Moon. "What exactly do you want us to do?" he screams out. He's glaring at it, but nothing happens. The Man in the Moon does not reply, and the silence eats at Jon. 

Suddenly he hears a soft groan coming from the base of the Globe. He rushes down, only to find a shadowy figure. It's slow to get up, taking its time and completely unaware that Jon is there. The shadow reforms into the shape of a man, but in the place of his head is a pumpkin. 

Jon's mind feels like it's being attacked again, the pain intensifying. Images – no, memories – are flashing in the forefront of his conscious overpowering his sight. One moment he's staring down into his hand, holding out a tooth and the next he's staring down at the flooring of the North Pole. His mind is dragging him through so many points of time in his life that he's losing feeling of the present. Jon is left defenceless, grasping at his head as it works on overdrive. The man finally sees him. He sweeps his hand through the air as if to attack, but nothing happens. It surprises him. In the second that the man hesitates, Jon tries to attack even when every movement causes searing pain, like he's fighting both his own body and the man before him. The icy blast hits the pumpkin-headed man square in the chest, causing him to fall on his back. He groans out a laugh. 

His voice breaks through the chaos in Jon's mind. The haunting baritone rings through the whole building. "Jon Frost. I was wondering when you'd show up." He rises to his feet. His movement isn't as smooth or as strong as his voice, which means he was affected by Jon's attack. Jon throws another blast but the man merely bends at the waist and remains on his feet, much to Jon's dismay. His head is still pulsing, and it's taking everything he has to keep his focus in the present. 

"But right now I need to find that child." Everything in Jon drains out as the man points to the Globe where the last light shines weakly. He melts into the shadows in the ruins of the workshop. His glowing eyes are the last thing to disappear as Jon falls to his hands and knees, no longer able hold himself up even with his staff. 

The Globe collapses. The light is gone. And Jon screams in agony. 

The moment drags on, but finally his mind clears. His balance is off as he stands again too quickly. He's looking around, trying to reorient himself with his surroundings. He pushes off in the direction of Seabs' main office and pulls apart everything in the search for a snow globe. He finds two and crams them into his pocket before taking off again. 

Once outside Jon blows out a long stream of air that creates a gust of wind to clear the snow off of the large masses of ice. The icy shield reappears, and Jon free falls down to Brinksy and Seabs. The shield breaks apart into the ground at the touch of Jon's staff. Brinksy jumps at him as he lands, and as happy as Jon is to see that they're both unharmed, they need to return to the Warren now. 

Jon struggles to carry Seabs in his weakened state, but he manages to throw the globe and pass through.

 

His heart sinks when they step foot in the Warren. Once again he's met with no one. The temple looks properly abandoned. Jon's ready to run off, but Seabs finally regains consciousness.

"Oh, Jonny Boy, you came to my rescue." Jon's relieved beyond belief to hear Seabs laugh, even as feeble as it currently is. 

A stone head plants itself behind Seabs, and he sits back against it. Jon gives it a soft tap as thanks. 

"How are you feeling?" Jon examines him, carefully handling Seabs' limbs as he checks their range of motion and strength. 

"Stop fussing over me. Where are the others?" Seabs asks.

"I don't know. Patrick was supposed to be here with Artemi and the fairies." Jon's frustrated with himself. He shouldn't have left them alone. 

"I said quit your worrying. It doesn’t look like they've been attacked, so they're probably fine. Don't get yourself worked up just yet." 

"What about you? What happened at the Pole?" 

"We were attacked. The guy calls himself Jack-O'-Lantern. Sounds more like a wacko. We tried fighting him off, but he seemed to keep getting stronger. Or us weaker." Seabs mulls over the thought. "Wait, did they get through okay?" 

"Who? No one else was there. I got there just as Crow exploded into nothing. He told me to get you." 

"Oh, good. Everyone made it out." Seabs looks pleased and then thumps Jon's head when he doesn't catch on. "Snow globes, Frosty! I sent everyone to Crow's island. I figured the mermaids could protect them for now." 

"But Kaner!" Brinksy chirps in. 

"Yes, let's get moving." Seabs musters his strength and manages to stand, smiling all the while. The stone head rises, too, and pushes them forward. It guides them to the tunnel entrances. Each of them are blocked by stone heads, but as they near, the one guarding the entrance to North America moves away. On the ground, Jon spots a morsel of chocolate. 

Seabs chuckles. "I think someone left us a trail. Think you can keep up?" The challenge isn't lost on Jon. Part of him doesn't want to push Seabs right now, but the uncertainty of the situation – and the safety of their friends – takes precedent. Jon doesn't want to arrive at another scene like the Palace ever again if he can help it. 

"Without your sleigh I don't think you should be talking, old man." Off they go into the tunnels, following the trail of chocolate.

It dons on Jon fairly quickly where the trail is leading them. They emerge in Winnipeg. It surprises Jon that Patrick picked up on the fact that this place holds significance to Jon. 

The last time the Guardians were here they were fighting Pitch. Jon sometimes returns to visit Jamie Benn, but he's growing up. Soon he won't have a reason to believe in them anymore. 

Most of the time, Jon visits for himself. 

The rabbit hole opens up by the lake. It all looks like it did before, but the circumstances are different. On this lake, Pitch became his own fear, and Jon realised his own dream. A child finally believed in him, and that belief brought back something he hadn't felt in centuries: human touch. Jamie's hug is something he will never forget. 

Jon can't dwell on that moment now. He spots another piece of chocolate in the middle of the lake. With no others in sight, this has to be the last one. 

"Patrick!" he calls out. From the grand pine trees that border the lake, the fairies pop out from their hiding spots among the branches. 

"I win again," Jon jokes, the tension easing in his body. Brinksy jumps down from his place on Jon's shoulder and runs to greet his siblings. The relief Jon feels overwhelms him, especially when he sees Patrick and Artemi. His hand moves to cup Patrick's face, and while he knows this may be weird, it doesn't feel foreign. Patrick smiles shyly, not bothered by Jon's affection and says, "But you lost the kid again." 

"Is he really lost if he has you?" Those words ring true in more than one way, and Jon doesn't know when that happened. More so, it might have been true all along. 

"Sorry to interrupt the reunion," Seabs says knowingly, "but we need to get to safety as soon as possible, and I don't know how to work the tunnels as well as Duncs." 

At this, Jon remembers the extra snow globe he grabbed from the Pole. He tosses it to Seabs and gets a 'job well done' wink in return. Seabs gives it a good shake before throwing the globe and opening the portal. "After you." Seabs gives a small bow as the fairies shuffle through. 

As the crowd dwindles, a voice pierces through the air. It's seemingly everywhere. The Guardians are on guard, Seabs with his swords out, Patrick finally able to take flight and Jon with his staff. 

"Thank you, Jon Frost, for finding this child for me." The shadows of the landscape deepen and pull together until they converge and form into Jack-O. "It's not him I need but his memory box." 

Jon quickly looks to Seabs and Patrick, and tells them to go – close the portal. He draws his hands low then raises them as walls of ice form a barrier between them and Jack-O. He clasps his hands together and two more walls of ice emerge only to encapsulate Jack-O. 

Jon doesn't know how he'll get out of this one, but he hears the portal close and for that he is thankful. 

And then he hears Patrick. "I think you could use some help. After all I am the strongest Guardian," he playfully declares. The humming of his wings give Jon some reassurance. At least Patrick has the strength to fight. Patrick is holding the bow Seabs crafted for him after the ordeal with Pitch, when Patrick said that he didn't want to be defenceless again. With that thought, he sees Artemi standing there next to them. Patrick shuts down any protests Jon wants to voice with "We're stronger with him here." It's true. After what happened earlier at the Pole, Jon only now feels re-energised, like he's returning to his baseline.

The ice holding Jack-O cracks. The darkness breaks free through the gaps and attacks the barrier that separates them. It spreads all over the wall, inching closer to them. Jon fashions some ice into a sword for himself and some arrows, tossing them to Patrick. The barrier melts as soon as every inch is consumed in darkness. 

Patrick fires three arrows in succession. Jack-O dodges all but the third, catching it with one hand, half of a breath from his chest. Patrick shoots more, but they get caught in the darkness. 

"It's useless fighting me. Have you Guardians not noticed how weak you're getting?" he poses the question as Jon throws another blast at him, charging forward. "Don't you realise I'm leeching it from you." 

Jon jumps into the air to drive his sword down into Jack-O, who fashions his own sword from the darkness. The swords clash, and the impact pushes Jon backwards. 

"My fight isn't with you but him!" With a single finger, Jack-O points to the sky, to the new moon. "Now give me that memory box!" His eyes glow with fury. He pulls back his own sword and forces it towards Jon's heart. Artemi runs in between them, and Jon's too slow to bring up a shield to prevent the sword from harming Artemi. They watch in horror as the child stands firmly, hands straight out, with the sword lodged clean through him.

Artemi's voice is gentle when he says, "I remember you, Jack." 

The new moon – dark as it was – sings with light now. Its rays slowly concentrate until it's a single beam of light over Artemi's heart. Artemi places his hands along the sword, and the dark sword shatters, revealing pure light underneath. It blinds them all, and then suddenly they're standing in a forest watching as a little boy pulls at his jacket, much too thin, tight against himself. They somehow feel what he feels. They feel his exhaustion. They feel the cold consuming him. 

This is Artemi. 

He ran away from home, and he's regretting it. He fought with his grandfather. He'd never done that before, and he couldn't handle that look of sheer disappointment so he ran. Now he's fallen into the snow after walking so far, and his ankle is throbbing. The cold is draining all of his energy, and he's too weak now to even breathe. Why was he so, so dumb. His eyes are closed - he's sure of it - but he sees a light. A warmth passes through him, and he's suddenly gasping for air. It doesn't ache and burn through his lungs like it did before. He sees before him a creature - or rather, a legend. The legend of Jack - the horseman that guides lost children home, who could find anyone lost with just the light of his lantern. 

Jack sets the lantern to the side as he kneels down to pick up Artemi in his arms. "It's alright, little one. I'm going to take you home."

Artemi curls up against the voice that is full of promise. It lulls him to sleep and when he wakes up, he's laying back in bed. His head is on his grandmother's lap, and her fingers are combed into his curls. His grandfather is at the foot of the couch, holding onto Artemi's hand. Artemi can see the soft glow of the moon outside, but he can also see a pumpkin with a lit candle sitting on the window still. 

His grandparents called on Jack to find him. As dumb and impulsive as he was, they want him here. He cries into his grandmother's lap and holds on harder to his grandfather's hand because he's home and he's safe. 

Pure light flashes, and once again they're on the lake in Winnipeg. The sword remains in Artemi, but he doesn't look at all concerned.

"You're lost, too, aren't you? We can help you find your home." He's so alarmingly calm. 

"I don't have a home anymore." Jack-O is so taken aback that he's frozen in place. He doesn't move, and for that Jon doesn't either. 

"We all have a home." 

"The Man in the Moon took that away from me. He's punishing me." 

Artemi shakes his head slowly. "He says you're not listening. This wasn't meant as a punishment. He wanted you to forgive yourself."

"But it was my fault she was out there. I didn't find her in time. It's all my fault!" Jack-O falls to his knees. "I failed as her brother."  
Those words strike Jon. They feel familiar. 

Artemi pulls out the sword from his chest as if it's nothing. He takes a step back and smiles, showing them that he's okay. Pat and Jon reach to check for themselves, hugging Artemi and trying to separate themselves from Jack-O. 

Jack-O is shaking, and his eyes are widened and unfocused. He's in disbelief at what he's seeing. Artemi forces his way back to Jack-O and takes his hand. 

"I'm sorry," Jack-O cries. "I didn't mean for any of this." He's gasping through his sobs. "I just wanted it to stop." 

Artemi grabs hold of the sword once more and raises it to Jack-O, who bows his head, ready to receive his sentence. Light continues to radiate from the sword, the second it touches Jack-O, it forces the darkness from him. The pumpkin breaks off from his head, revealing his true face. His body – no longer covered in shadows – is dressed in simple, winter garments. He has a handsome face, but otherwise looks like nothing extraordinary or magical.

From where he kneels, the light emits outward in a ring like a single wave in a pool of water. It passes through Artemi, Patrick and Jon and continues beyond what can be seen in the horizon. 

Jon's mind pulses for a beat, like a quiet reminder. Memories settle back into place – a jigsaw puzzle finally completed. Next to him, Patrick is taking flight. Everything about him looks so normal, until he is charging at Jack-O. He gets a good punch in before Jon can restrain his arms. Patrick manages another kick in the struggle, and Jack-O takes it willingly. 

"Jonny, please, let me go! He hurt my family!" he screams out. It pains Jon to see Patrick so hurt, but this revenge – this guilt – won't help. Patrick goes lax in Jon's arms. 

"This won't bring them back." 

"But I could do this one thing for them." 

"Would they want that?" 

Patrick's jaw tenses, but he gives no answer. 

Artemi leans over Jack-O with the sword in hand. "The Man in the Moon wants to give a choice. He says you can continue being the Jack-O'-Lantern and do as you've done for centuries, or he can grant you mortality and erase your memories." 

Patrick brushes off his tears, and as composed as he can be, he walks over to Jack-O. Jack-O clenches, waiting for the impact of whatever Patrick will give him, but it never comes. Instead he grasps the sword from Artemi and in a raw voice, says, "I can understand the guilt you feel. I wasn't enough to prevent you from hurting my family, and maybe one day I can forgive myself." Pointedly he hands the hilt of the sword into Jack-O's hands. It shines brightly, morphing into a lantern. 

Jack-O takes the lantern, and the light dissipates. He's looking at the ground when he speaks again. His voice is hollow. "I'm sorry. I only wanted your powers to fight the Man in the Moon. I never wanted to hurt those fairies. I couldn't control my power after taking from the Sandman. Please, understand that I never wanted this immortality. I only wanted to save her. Save my sister. I spent centuries saving other children, but the one I wanted to save is gone." 

Jon kneels down. "You should've come to us. We could've helped." 

"It's too late now. I've hurt you. I don't expect you to forgive me." He takes the lantern and crushes it against the ground.

"I think you're wrong. Eventually all of us would," Jon quietly replies. 

Jack-O finally looks at Jon. "Thank you, but I've made my choice." 

Artemi places his hand on Jack-O's head. Another light blows gently from his palm, and Jack-O closes his eyes. 

Jon steps back, and Patrick takes his hand. "Let's go home."

With their powers fully restored they all take flight with Artemi piggybacking Jon. Patrick decides to head to Crow's island by himself, entrusting that Jon can handle taking Artemi home. 

Anya greets them at the door. It's Sunday morning, Artemi informs him. His grandparents won't be up for another hour or so. Anya pleads until Artemi picks her up, and they move to the living room. 

"What you did back there was amazing. You're quite the tough fella." Jon ruffles his hair, but Artemi is unperturbed. 

"The Man in the Moon told me to help." 

"He was talking to you?" Artemi had said as much, but it irritates Jon on some level that the Man in the Moon remained silent when he had asked for help. 

Artemi nods as Anya continues to pepper him with kisses. "He says it isn't my time yet, but you guys needed me now." Artemi brings his palm forward, and it emits a small shimmer of light. 

Jon's baffled. He hadn't considered this at all. Jon was under the impression that it was the Man in the Moon's doing, not Artemi's. "So you're a Guardian now?" 

"Unofficially. I'm not allowed to use my powers, but I'm going to be so strong. Just you wait." Artemi's grin is so wide. "Oh, he did ask me to help you with one more thing." 

Artemi offers his hand. Jon doesn't know what to expect, but he's curious. The light coming from their hands overwhelms his sight. 

He opens his eyes once more, and he's standing again at the frozen lake. It's strange feeling returning here. The lake isn't the same as they left it earlier. It's pristine, no hints of the battle that took place. Jon doesn't understand how that could be when Patrick comes up to his right. 

"You're remembering him, aren't you?" Pat asks. Jon hums quietly. 

Jon knows exactly what he's talking about, but he's not sure how. His body is responding more so than his mind, and that's when he realises this is like what happened with Artemi and Jack-O. But this time it's his own memory. Jon relaxes into the memory, letting it play out. 

He remembers the first time he stood on this ice. His father was teaching him to skate, and it was the only thing he ever wanted to do. To skate from dawn to dusk. When his father took over the family business, he never had the time to teach his brother. Yet in many ways Jon was excited to be the one to teach him. 

But it was also the reason that Jon died and left his brother to grieve him. A grief that lasted his whole life all the while Jon was unable to do anything to help. 

Pat laces their fingers together as Jon continues to take in everything about the frozen lake.

"Jonathan," he offers unprompted. "My name was Jonathan Toews. It doesn't sounds as legendary as Jon Frost, but that was my name. And my brother was David." 

After the battle with Pitch, Jon never talked about his memories. He didn't share anything about his previous life with the other Guardians. He knows that they have memories of their own previous lives, but they seem so unattached to them now. It's such a small marker of time compared to the years of being a Guardian. Who they are now is what matters. 

But now – now in this memory, he recalls the moments of his life that were forgotten to him for centuries – the ones that he longed to have, that filled the void. He can't help but linger on them, getting lost in them once again. 

Sharing just this little piece of his life with Patrick makes him smile. It doesn't feel odd to share something so deeply personal with him. Quite the opposite. 

Patrick squeezes their hands before bringing them closer to his chest. He's smiling to himself when Jon turns to him. He's mulling over a thought - a pleasant one, it seems. His dimples are shining through. 

"I think – I think I remember..." Patrick is finally looking at Jon again, looking so sure of himself. Jon doesn't know what to do with himself seeing Patrick like this. "I was still working in the field at the time. The world wasn't as populated as it is now." He chuckles a little before pulling Jon around so that they're facing away from the lake and toward the town now. "I remember coming to this small village for a mandibular central incisor. I could sense it in the room of a small boy - probably too young to be losing a tooth. I saw you standing at the doorway, holding the incisor in the palm of your hand. You placed it under his pillow. I had never seen anyone do that before. I knew for sure it was yours. I could feel the memories. They were so strongly fond and proud. Much like how I feel about my own sisters. He probably adored you as much as you adored him."

For the first time in centuries Jon cries for the brother he lost. 

The memory ends, and Jon is sitting in Artemi's living room with his hand held between both of Artemi's. He can feel the tears on his face. After everything that has happened, the grief isn't hitting him as hard than it had in the memory. 

"The Man in the Moon knew Jack-O'-Lantern was mourning for his sister, but he didn't realise how torn up he was about it. That's why he wanted to save you from that pain when he chose you as Jon Frost. He was wrong. He sees that now. He doesn't want you to ever forget. That's not for him to decide." 

Jon considers this. "Wait, there's more to that memory, isn't there?" 

Artemi gives him a gentle smile. "That part isn't for me to share."

  


The Tooth Palace is operating back at full force. Jon chose to fly all the way here, just to have some sense of normalcy after being on high alert. One fairy nears. Forts. 

"You're here to see Kaner, yeah? I can go get him for you if you don't want to draw any attention." Jon nods. "I'll tell him same place as always." 

Jon doesn't ask where because Jon has been here before, and Forts has done him this same courtesy. More than that, he's been the one to pass messages between Patrick and him. It's strange how he knows this, but there are fragments missing that connect these moments. 

He flies down weaving between the mountains, away from the lines of fairies above him, entering the cave. The entrance faces the sun, so Jon cuts through the shaded half up to the peak. 

Long, thin trees rise from the mountain top and serve as adequate cover from being seen from below. He walks over to the sunny side and stands on a ledge where there’s some clear rocky surface. Enough space for two. 

He peers down at the fairies and reminisces about their time at the Warren. He hopes their pain will one day passes. Like his will eventually.

He hears the buzzing of his wings before he sees Patrick. He takes a seat next to Jon. He feels too far. 

Jon doesn't like this silence, so he starts, “Artemi’s home safely.” Patrick hums in acknowledgement. 

Jon rummages through his bag and pulls out a container of strawberry-filled chocolates. He made sure they stayed at a proper temperature this time. “I believe these are for you.” 

“You remember?” Patrick looks so hopeful. 

“No, not everything. Most of it’s back. Artemi said you could help with the final pieces.” 

Patrick looks solemnly at the chocolate in his hand before taking a bite. “I told you so many times that these chocolates were the best part of your visits. They weren’t.” 

Jon laughs because he does remember this. 

Patrick picks up a small, golden box – a memory box, but this one is unmarked. 

“Jack-O took our memories to weaken us, but he also took a part of you.” He hesitates to finish. “From me.” 

Patrick hands Jon the memory box and waits for Jon to touch the jewelled pattern on the cover before placing his own hand there, too. A warm feeling rushes through Jon as the memories flow into the gaps. He sees bits and pieces, moments spent with Patrick. 

He feels it all. 

He leans over to press his head against Patrick’s in a sigh of relief, like returning home. But Patrick looks so terrified. 

“I kept this close by when I would miss you, just to feel you all over again. I’m sorry,” he says before Jon feels Patrick tugging a memory to the forefront. 

It's not the first time Jon is blown away by how beautiful Patrick is. Watching him glide around the ice has Jon in a daze. The sun is reflecting every subtle colour of his wings. His feathered body looks so smooth and soft. Best of all, his eyes are solely focused on Jon, and that may be the only wish he ever wants to have. 

Patrick pulls him into the middle of the frozen lake and spins him around, much to Jon's clumsy dismay but he's happily laughing with Patrick anyway. Jon tries to surprise Patrick by dipping him, but that's obviously too much to ask. 

"Hey, I thought I was taking lead here, " Patrick banters back. The shift in balance causes Jon to lose his footing and pull them both to the ice, Patrick whacking his head against Jon’s jaw, causing it to snap shut. Jon is still for a moment while the initial wave of pain dulls.

Jon opens his eyes to see that his wish is granted once again. Patrick is staring down at him, one hand curled around his jaw. Patrick parts his lips about to speak when Jon brings him closer and kisses him. It's the most magnificent moment until Patrick licks in and Jon feels one of his teeth wiggle loose and almost chokes on it. Patrick pulls Jon up into a sitting position while trying so unsuccessfully to not laugh at Jon's misery.

Jon manages to spit out the tooth, and then Patrick truly doesn’t hold back.

"Do you know which tooth this is?" Patrick is unhelpfully pointing at it as if suddenly Jon will get a clue, but this isn't Jon's expertise. 

"A canine?" 

Patrick rolls his eyes fondly and corrects him. "A central incisor. If I'm not mistaken it's the right one, too, just like the one you gave up for your brother." 

Jon doesn't know why he decides this, but it feels right being that it is them. He conjures some thin ice into Patrick's hand before coaxing his palm to close. He opens Patrick's palm once more and drains the melted ice over the bloody tooth in his own hand. Jon inspects it carefully. He takes Patrick's hand again and says with as much conviction he can muster, "I want you to have this. This tooth will be our memories." 

The laughter seems to have drained out of Patrick because now he's searching for something in Jon's face. Jon can't help but lightly kiss him.

"I'll guard it with my life," Patrick promises. 

Patrick pulls him out of the memory, and Jon understands why he’s so distant. "You need to stop blaming yourself." 

"I broke the promise. I've failed you twice already." 

"And yet you've saved me. You brought me my memories when I was lost. You protected them. You fought for them." 

"But now you're reliving it all over again. I saw the pain you went through the first time. I saw what David's memories did to you." 

"It's always going to hurt, but it doesn't hurt like it did then. I think you have a lot to do with that." 

He picks up the memory box. Inside is his tooth and a small blue flower. 

"As long as I have you, I'll be okay." 

He loves being a Guardian, but to be here he lost his family. In some small way Jon's glad that he didn't have to feel the pain of their loss when the Man in the Moon first called on him, and he was completely alone. He has a family now. 

He has Patrick.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to [justalilchip](https://justalilchip.tumblr.com/) for the fantastic and beautiful art featured in our story. She was amazingly flexible and managed to create [two](http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f2/hippietoews/U9qt4dyd_zpslltbfdc7.jpg) equally perfect versions for us! Just the inspiration we needed.
> 
> Special shout-out to my writing partner who carried this entire project and made it what it is while I studied for finals. Love you!
> 
> This is Not-hippietoews. I hope you enjoyed our little story. It was a ride of emotions but a fun little challenge. I couldn't have done it without her. She's amazing. Love you, too!
> 
> A very happy birthday to Jonathan Toews!
> 
>  **Nickname Guide**  
>  Jon Frost (Jack Frost*) - Jonathan Toews; Tooth Fairy - Patrick Kane; Santa Claus - Brent Seabrook; Easter Bunny - Duncan Keith; Sandman - Corey Crawford; Unnamed adorable elf stool – Scott Darling; Jack-O'-Lantern (original villain)
> 
>  **Baby Tooth Fairies: Kane-9**  
>  Nickle – Nick Schmaltz; Apple – Tyler Motte; Harts – Ryan Hartman; Vinnie – Vincent Hinostroza; Brinsky (Baby Tooth*) – Alex DeBrincat; Forts – Alexandre Fortin; Marns – Mitchell Marner; Four - Auston Matthews; Willy – William Nylander 
> 
> *Original character's name in the film.


End file.
